We had a last minute deal with Virgin flying from Gatwick for 7 days. As we had never been to the Carribean before we did not know what it would be like.
All I can say is that from the moment we arrived until we left the hospitality, the staff, the food, the lovely sea view room we had and the most beautiful beach we have ever seen was beyond any expectaions you could ever imagine.
We cannot wait to go back next year.

We had the holiday of a lifetime at the Grand Pineapple. It wasn't the poshest. There was no marble entrance way and the rooms were basic but it was spotless.

The food was fantastic and although the service was slow at times it was forgivable.

Some of the servers were sour faced so I can understand those comments but there were as many lovely people there too. When we returned and I was faced with the woman dealing with parking in the long stay I realised that we British don't have a leg to stand on when it comes to 'service with a smile'.

The outhouse was wonderful. Miss Mary was on holiday but Gloria stood in and did a grand job.

We went on the snorkelling/picnic twice because it was amazing and a good way to meet others in the hotel. The trip to Shirley Heights was worth it too. A tourist do but the music was great.

All in all great value for money.

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Grand Pineapple from 11 August for a week and we had a wonderful time. The minute we saw the beach all our stresses melted away! We had a standard room (number 308) which was situated at the back of the resort and it was lovely and quiet (no rooms above or below us). The room was spacious, clean and comfortable. The only quibble we had was the air con which which a little loud but we got used to it. The food was lovely with a good selection to suit all tastes. The short walk up to Mary's Outhouse is a must. We didn't meet Mary but we tucked into some of the best spare ribs and jerk chicken going!

The best thing of all was the beach! It made our holiday. We spent a lot of time just marvelling at the views from our sunloungers; white sand and turquoise blue sea. Make sure you walk to the far right of the beach and snorkle around the rocks; its quite shallow and I saw more sea life there than I did on the Cades Reef boat trip. There are one or two beach sellers who are very friendly and easy going. If you aren't interested just politely say no thanks. There's no hassel. They actually sell some real nice stuff. I bought a couple of bead necklaces and loads of other guests puchased stuff too.

Because we flew with Virgin we had the services of Joy the Virgin travel rep. She was really friendly and helpful and because of her I plucked up the courage to do more than just flop on the beach for 7 days and not leave the hotel. We took a boat trip to swim with stingrays on a shallow sand bank; this was an amazing experience and is suitable for people of all ages and people who can't swim that well like me (ask for life jackets so you can just float around). We went to Shirley's Heights for the sunday night open air party and had a blast dancing to fabulous live bands. Shirley's Heights is billed as a where the locals go but actually the majority of people were tourists, but that atmosphere was brilliant anyway. We also went on the Cades Reef boat trip up the caribbean coast to do some snorkelling. This was a nice day out but the snorkelling wasn't that great. A lot of the coral has died and because its way out in the ocean the sea life isn't that concentrated. Stick to snorkelling off the beach at Grand Pineapple as there is much more to see there.

The weather was fantastic. It was hot but tempered by the gentle winds coming of the atlantic. We had a couple of rain showers but these were over quickly and brought a lovely freshness to the air.

Overall I would say that this holiday was total value for money. Yes some of the decor is dated but who cares. The staff were friendly and very helpful and in the week we stayed we had no problems at all. On the Cades Reef boat trip we sailed past a few of the more 'up market' expensive hotels, and their beaches were completely empty! There really isn't any point going to a posh hotel that costs the earth when you can get everything you could possibly want out of a holiday from a hotel like the Grand Pineapple. We will definately return!

We visited GPB June 3-10. I don't understand the negative reviews. Maybe it was bad luck or the wrong time of the year.

Check in: We were greeted by Reception with great warmth and rum punch.

Room: We were told the resort was only at 50% occupancy so we had a choice of a few rooms, even though we were already assigned to room 822. Chakka (?sp) took us in his golf cart to look at 2 rooms; 822 and 512. We first looked at room 822 which was an oceanview. It was great! There was a fresh fruit plate on the table, fresh flowers everywhere, 4 bottles of liquor and a fully stocked refrigerator with water, soda and beer. The bathroom was large and had a separate changing area. We are Allegro Vacation Club members which may be the reason for the special treatment. Then he took us to room 512 which is an oceanfront. It was not even close to room 822. It was musty, small and you couldn't walk onto the beach without stepping through hedges. So we went back to room 822. The A/C broke down within minutes but it was fixed by the time we returned at the end of the day. It also broke on the day we were leaving. So basically, it served our needs. We always had clean towels.

Pool: The pool was nice, always clean, always chairs available, always fresh towels. We never went into the adult pool.

Beach: The beach was gorgeous! Always clean. We only saw one beach vendor and we politely said "no thanks" and he said "thank you, have a nice day" and went on his way. Chairs were always available.

Restaurants: The Pineapple Grill was not open due to lack of guests but Chef Pietro served that menu one of the nights. The only nuisance as far as the restuarant goes were the birds at breakfast. They were everywhere! However, the food was fantastic in all restaurants. Joanne made the best omelets. Italian night was great as was Mexican night.

Outhouse: Well worth the trip up the hill. We never did meet Mary.

We rented a car for the week and drove around to the various beaches every day except for one (where we hung out at the resort all day). The first day, the resort packed us a picnic lunch to take with us. Dawnella was great! Went to Carlisle Bay, Jolly Beach, Half Moon Bay, Runaway Beach, Dickinson's Bay and Darkwood Beach. All beaches were incredible! Shirley Heights on Sunday night is a must! Great food and entertainment. It is crowded however so be prepared. Nelson's Dockyard was also nice. St. John's was a bust! We couldn't seem to navigate very well as the roads were not always clearly marked. We just got frustrated and never did get to shop. We didn't see much in town anyway so it was okay.

Excursions: Wadadli Cats was the best. We took the Circumnavigation cruise. Snorkeling was great, the food and staff were great. The best part was when we left the Caribbean and hit the Atlantic. What a rush! If you like to get wet, sit at the front of the boat and hang on! We also did Eli's Eco Tour, which was also great!

The staff at GPB were so friendly. It was tough to get a smile or chuckle out of Vera, however. I just think that's her nature.

I personally wouldn't waste time walking to Devil's Bridge. It's about 3 1/2 miles round trip and not that spectacular. If you have a car, drive there.

We would definately visit GPB again!